October 12, 2021

By Izabelle Cool

Photo Provided by Mizzou Athletics

The chemistry between Missouri tennis stars senior Bronte Murgett, from West Yorkshire, Great Britain, and graduate student Marta Oliveira, from Lisbon, Portugal, on and off the court has created a championship-contending doubles team in the 2021-22 season. The duo formed organically when both players realized they played their best when together. 

“[Oliveira and I] kind of merged into a single player,” Murgett said. “I do all the skills in the back well, and she does all the skills in the front well. We understand each other well, [and] I had never really played with someone like that.”

Murgett joined the Tigers before the 2020-21 season after transferring from New Mexico. During her three seasons at New Mexico, she had a 95-43 record and held both the No. 1 and 2 singles spots.     

“[Missouri] made it welcoming and easy for me to fit in and be able to play my tennis and do what I do,” Murgett said. “I am thankful for them for making it feel welcoming and a good motivational environment to play tennis in.”

Oliveira’s experiences with doubles at Missouri did not always create a secure pairing. She was 9-15 overall in 2017-18, 15-12 in  2018-19 and 9-8 in 2019-20. During the 2020-21 season, she played with five different doubles teammates until she and Bronte were paired.

“It has been very up and down playing with a lot of different people.” Oliveira said. “I think Bronte is the first person that I have played with consistently, and [we’ve] been able to grow in our game and grow in our doubles knowledge.”

Since Murgett joined the team and Chris Wootton became head coach, Oliveira said she now feels she can restart her journey and finish it this year. She said that she feels a dynamic with Murgett that she lacked with other partners, and after a year of playing together, they feel confident in their ability to improve in Year 2. 

The two are close on and off the court and hang out frequently when not in match play. 

Oliveira said that while their personalities are different, “what makes [them] special is complementing each other” in game styles.

Murgett mentioned that since the two are together so often, they also need to have time apart. 

“Something that we definitely learned last year was to have our separation, so that we can perform at the highest level,” Murgett said. “But we definitely hang out with each other a lot outside of the tennis facility.”

However, the pair realized in match play how hard it was to play without each other. During the 2020-21 SEC season, Murgett and Oliveira didn’t play as a doubles team for three weeks: March 18, 2021 to April 4, 2021. During those weeks, Murgett won her matches with then-freshmen Valentina Vazquez and Romary Cardenas Rifka but lost four matches with then-senior Ellie Wright. Oliveira was paired with then-junior Gabrielle Goldin and then-senior Serena Nash. Oliveira was able to win or end the matches unfinished with both players. 

“When [Murgett and I] were put back together is when we realized how different it is when we play together,” Oliveira said.

Murgett remembers when the pair played against LSU during the 2020-21 season, where they defeated then-sophomores Safiya Carrington and Maggie Cubitt 6-2 in doubles play. This was the moment Murgett realized Oliveira was the doubles teammate she needed to compete at her highest level. 

“That was cool for me to see and feel like I had the confidence,” Murgett said. “We know that we’re better and that we‘re going to win this match. It’s a cool feeling to have, especially during a high-level SEC match. It can’t get much more confident than that.” 

Both players’ tennis careers at Missouri are coming to an end, and they have their eyes set on becoming All-Americans and placing in the ITA Division I Regional Championships in Iowa City, Iowa, Oct. 21-25. Oliveira said the pair have been putting in a lot of work over this past season and that while it is a process, they have seen themselves getting better.

When looking back at their collegiate seasons, they found they not only became better players but had also found a home away from their home countries. 

“You can come home at the end of the day and have people around you that support you and love you and want the best for you,” Murgett said. “And that is the Mizzou kind of [structure], and it is really cool to be a part of.”

Oliveira is focusing on herself and how she has grown as a person with the people around her at Missouri.  

“The main thing I’m going to take away from here is how I grew as a person, and how I have developed with the people around me,” Oliveira said. 

Oliveira and Murgett are the first Missouri doubles pair in Tiger history to receive a bid to the ITA Women’s All-American Championships. The team was ranked No. 7 during the national preseason rankings after finishing 9-5 during the 2020-21 season. Murgett qualified for a singles bid and will make an appearance in singles play during the championships.

“We know how well we can do — we know the work we’ve been putting in since June and July,” Oliveira said. “It’s a process and we’re getting better and better.”

Edited by Mason Arneson | marneson@themaneater.com